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In the 21st century, a quality education system is the centerpiece of a country's economic development and global competitiveness. In this global world, the line between domestic and international issues is increasingly blurred, with the world's economies, societies and people interconnected as never before. For a nation, skills and knowledge lead to higher productivity, innovation and economic growth.  For individuals, education and training have the potential to lead to better wages, less unemployment, greater job satisfaction and improved health and quality of life.

Over the past few decades, the unemployment rate for those without a high school diploma has almost doubled that of those with a post-secondary education.  The poverty rate is twice as high for families headed by someone without a university degree compared to those with one.  Also, education will be increasingly important in the next decade as Canada continues the transition to a knowledge economy. It is estimated that over the next ten years more than 65% of all jobs will require some form of post-secondary education or training.

Because of this integral position education holds in our nation, the committee I chair, the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, undertook an in-depth study of access to post-secondary education in Canada.  We looked at barriers to access and evaluated direct funding for students and transfer payments from the federal government to the provinces.   We expect to table the report in the fall.

What we have found was a mix bag of results. The good news is that compared to other countries, Canada’s population is among the best educated.   In 2007, Canada had the highest percentage of any OECD country of persons aged 25-64 with a post-secondary education.  Some 50% of Canadians in that age bracket have a college diploma or university degree.

However, as the Canadian Council on Learning pointed out “past performance is no guarantee of future returns.” The rate of growth in post-secondary enrollment is now leveling off.  Throughout our committee hearings, we learned that although financial barriers to education are a problem, and that student loans do not go far enough in covering the expenses of attending post secondary education, they were not the only barriers faced by students.

One of the most significant barriers is the lack of post-secondary education on the part of parents.  Children whose parents have completed some form of post-secondary education are significantly more likely to enroll in higher education themselves. For example, 50% of students whose parents had attended university enrolled as well. That figure is nearly three times the participation rate for children of parents who never attended university. Another major barrier is a student’s poor performance in high school and overall low basic skills levels, including literacy, numeracy and problem-solving.

And, although we like to think our education system is available to all, in reality it is not. There are some groups of Canadians that are significantly under-represented in the system.  Students from rural and remote communities participate at lower rates than their urban counterparts. Persons with disabilities and those from low income households also have lower rates of participation.  And, Aboriginal Canadians are twice as likely to drop out of high school compared with other Canadians.

According to one study, if aboriginal Canadians were able to increase their education attainment to the level of other Canadians, our cumulative economic output would grow by an additional $179 billion by 2026 and government tax revenue would be $3.5 billion higher.  That would be good for aboriginal peoples and all Canadians.

On innovation we are seeing some troubling signs. Although the number of graduates earning master’s and doctoral degrees has increased in the last number of years, graduation numbers at this level in science and engineering remain relatively weak compared to other OECD countries. This is important because these graduates are linchpins to increasing innovation, competitiveness and productivity, which fuels economic growth.

And, even though Canada’s population is among the best educated in the world there are concerns that we are not producing enough skilled workers for the knowledge economy.  As Rick Miner, former president of Seneca College, pointed out in People Without Jobs, Jobs Without People, “we are headed to a situation where large numbers of people will be looking for work but cannot find it because they lack the skills required. At the very same time, an even larger number of jobs will go unfilled because there are not the skilled workers qualified to fill them.”

We are also falling behind in attracting and retaining international students to Canadian universities.  These students and graduates fill labour market gaps and meet immigration needs at a time when our country faces declining birth rates and an aging population.

International students also represent an important source of revenue for post-secondary institutions. A recent study conducted for the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trades (DFAIT) found that international students in Canada “spent in excess of $6.5 billion on tuition, accommodation and discretionary spending; created over 83,000 jobs; and generated more than $291 million in government revenue.”

However, despite these benefits, Canada lags behind other countries in attracting international students.  One of the biggest problems is that international students must pay over three times the tuition that Canadians pay and overall fees for these students have increased by 86% in the last decade.  This is further complicated by the fact that many are not eligible for financial assistance.  Another major hurdle is the immigration process.  A great number of students experience difficulties navigating through the bureaucratic hoops.

We are also failing to retain the international students that are educated here. In 2007, a Canadian Bureau for International Education report on the retention of international students stated that “the lack of a strategic, fully articulated policy on international students is damaging Canada’s efforts to be competitive with its trading partners for the pool of highly skilled graduates.”  The report called for improved policies designed to assist the labour market integration of international students once they graduated.

I think now, coming out of the global recession, we need to take stock. To chart our path for the future. Our ability as a nation to thrive in a competitive global economy depends on our ability to be innovative and to provide a labour force with the skills required to adapt to new technologies. We will not be successful until barriers to accessing higher education are removed and all Canadians have the opportunity to succeed. 

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